Unlike Guillen, Ventura avoids Wrigley Field controversy

Before each Cubs-White Sox series, then-Sox manager Ozzie Guillen usually would regale the media with his thoughts about Wrigley Field -- mostly insinuating it was a rat-filled dump, and guaranteed to create humor on the South Side and ire on the North Side.

So what does mild-mannered manager Robin Ventura think about Wrigley with the first round of the series scheduled this weekend?

“I’m not going there: It’s fine,” Ventura said. “It is an old stadium, but it’s a fun stadium to play in. I enjoy playing there. The amenities aren’t great, but we are just playing baseball.”

Of course, Ventura has played at Wrigley as both a member of the Sox and also with the Mets and Dodgers. That includes Sox games against the Cubs that were exhibitions instead of counting in the standings.

“It’s fun. It’s a great atmosphere,” he said. “Any time you are in a city that has two teams, those games mean a lot. It’s fun for the fans. It’s good for us too.

“You get a different atmosphere. It’s a different energy level fan-wise. Whether it’s over there or here, so it’s fun. It breaks things up.”